A New York Times Best Seller! Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Fiction of 2014! An Indie Next Pick!

From New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell, comes a hilarious, heart-wrenching take on love, marriage, and magic phones.

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply—but that almost seems beside the point now.Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her—Neal is always a little upset with Georgie—but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts. . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

wizardsheart(Grade: A) Rainbow Rowell is one of those writers where I read the synopsis and don't think the book will be that interesting. Then I pick it up and devour it. She's an amazing storyteller. In this book a woman finds a connection to her husband's past self on an old phone at a critical point in their relationship. While I like she doesn't wrap everything up with a perfect bore, I really wish that the story had been about a hundred pages longer!

RemusLupin(Grade: A) I read this book essentially in one sitting. Despite being an adult-focused book, it still has that Rainbow Rowell magic. Well developed characters, tight storytelling, and so many relatable lines. My only complaint is that the main plot device (the Landline) doesn't kick in until almost halfway through the book and doesn't actual seem that important to the narrative.

(Rated on Dec 20, 2017)

2

bennettgavrish(Grade: B) It might seem odd to write a young adult book about two married people approaching their 40's. But Rowell can do it, and she stays in her wheelhouse the whole time. Part of that is thanks to the college flashback scenes, which are able to add more youthful color to the story without being heavy-handed. The time travel conceit was a risk, but the author uses it as an effective plot mover and not a nostalgia stunt. What really shines is Rowell's ability to make a single life feel monumental.